MANY hundred years ago there lived an honest old
wood-cutter and his wife. One fine morning the old man went off to the
hills with his billhook, to gather a faggot of sticks, while his wife
went down to the river to wash the dirty clothes. When she came to the
river, she saw a peach floating down the stream; so she picked it up,
and carried it home with her, thinking to give it to her husband to eat
when he should come in. The old man soon came down from the hills, and
the good wife set the peach before him, when, just as she was inviting
him to eat it, the fruit split in two, and a little puling baby was born
into the world. So the old couple took the babe, and brought it up as
their own; and, because it had been born in a peach, they called it Momotarô,53 or Little
Peachling.

By degrees Little Peachling grew up to be strong and brave,
and at last one day he said to his old foster-parents

"I am going to the ogres' island to carry off the riches
that they have stored up there. Pray, then, make me some millet dumplings
for my journey."

So the old folks ground the millet, and made the dumplings
for him; and Little Peachling, after taking an affectionate leave of them,
cheerfully set out on his travels.

As he was journeying on, he fell in with an ape, who gibbered
at him, and said, "Kia! kia! kia! where are you off to, Little Peachling?"

"I'm going to the ogres' island, to carry off their treasure,"
answered Little Peachling.

"What are you carrying at your girdle?"

"I'm carrying the very best millet dumplings in all Japan."

"If you'll give me one, I will go with you," said the
ape.

So Little Peachling gave one of his dumplings to the ape,
who received it and followed him. When he had gone a little further, he
heard a pheasant calling

Little Peachling answered as before; and the pheasant,
having begged and obtained a millet dumpling, entered his service, and
followed him. A little while after this, they met a dog, who cried

"Bow! wow! wow! whither away, Master Peachling?"

"I'm going off to the ogres' island, to carry off their
treasure."

"If you will give me one of those nice millet dumplings
of yours, I will go with you," said the dog.

"With all my heart," said Little Peachling. So he went
on his way, with the ape, the pheasant, and the dog following after him.

When they got to the ogres' island, the pheasant flew
over the castle gate, and the ape clambered over the castle wall, while
Little Peachling, leading the dog, forced in the gate, and got into the
castle. Then they did battle with the ogres, and put them to flight, and
took their king prisoner. So all the ogres did homage to Little Peachling,
and brought out the treasures which they had laid up. There were caps
and coats that made their wearers invisible, jewels which governed the
ebb and flow of the tide, coral, musk, emeralds, amber, and tortoiseshell,
besides gold and silver. All these were laid before Little Peachling by
the conquered ogres.

So Little Peachling went home laden with riches, and maintained
his foster-parents in peace and plenty for the remainder of their lives.

Momo means a peach, and Tarô is
the termination of the names of eldest sons, as Hikotarô,
Tokutarô, &c. In modern times, however, the termination
has been applied indifferently to any male child.
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